McIlwain is the No. 149 overall player and No. 6 dual-threat passer in the country and the No. 4 prospect from Pennsylvania.

He is short for the position (6'0") but has a live arm and top-end athleticism. ESPN Scouts Inc. (subscription required) said he "slings the ball with authority," calling him "the perfect fit for a spread offense" and "one of those kids you can't help but like."

Among his final six, Auburn sticks out as the most spread-oriented team. Current quarterback Nick Marshall is a converted defensive back with great speed, questionable height (6'1") and a powerful arm who's being mentioned as a Heisman contender this season.

Duke, however, also runs a spread with quarterback Anthony Boone, and Florida, which just hired former Duke offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, will be running a similar (if not identical) scheme this season.

Virginia Tech's offense, meanwhile, is under a new regime since the hiring of Scot Loeffler two seasons ago, but it has also been a top destination for mobile QBs such as Tyrod Taylor in recent years.

Credit: 247Sports

Having said that, South Carolina and Penn State are the two projected favorites to land McIlwain.

The Gamecocks have 73 percent of the votes on his 247Sports "Crystal Ball," and the Nittany Lions check in with the other 27.

Both of those teams already have a 4-star dual-threat quarterback committed in the 2015 class: Lorenzo Nunez at South Carolina and Brandon Wimbush at Penn State. However, even if that means added competition for McIlwain, it also signals that the teams are moving in the direction of mobile quarterbacks.

And that's a good thing.

As far as his timetable goes, McIlwain will be active in recruitment this fall but plans on committing within the year. "I want to visit a lot of schools (this season) and make a commitment either in late winter or early spring," he told Phil Kornblut of GoGamecocks.com.